Students have launched a community fundraising initiative to help finance an educational school trip to the United States.

Children from East End Primary School in St George will join members of Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB) this weekend in a “trashathon” from Mullet Bay to St Catherine’s Beach.

The community effort is the latest in a series of projects designed to help raise funds for a school trip to New York in May.

The trip, which is designed to give students an insight into American culture, has been spearheaded by teachers Daltonelle Minors, Micquita Minors and Shanika Parfitt.

A total of 17 pupils from Year Five and Six have signed up to the school trip.

“It’s about giving pupils a new experience and a new perspective on life,” said Daltonelle Minors. “Our original plans involved a trip to the UK and France but we had to scale back due to the costs.

“We do a trip with the students every two years, and this May we will be going to New York. The plan is to immerse them in the culture of the city, take them to a show, go to Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty.”

As part of the build-up to the six-night school trip, students and teachers from East End Primary have held a series of fundraising events.

Mrs Minors added: “So far we have held a tag day in the town, and we have two grub days coming up.

“Then this weekend pupils will be helping KBB in a major clean-up from Mullet Bay into the town and beyond.

“The idea is to help the community at the same time as helping to fund this educational trip.”